School holidays boredom cure: Sydney Uni’s Seymour Centre

Parkour workshops, bicycle-powered smoothie blenders and a darkly hilarious take on fairy tales – if you’re looking for something different to entertain the kids this school holidays, Sydney Uni’s Seymour Centre has got everything you need.

From 22-26 September the Seymour Centre will transform into a world of wonderful entertainment for kids and grown-ups. My boys and I were lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the action, and we had a brilliant time doing crafts, eating only the icing off too many cupcakes, and listening to Squabbalogic director and actor James Moody reading Nick Bland’s The Grumpy Bear.

We also got to see the brilliant and bizarre 52 Storey Treehouse show. My eldest’s favourite bit was the funnel farting scene. I’ll let you watch the show yourself too find out what happened, but suffice to say, there has been a lot of cackling about flatulence going on in my house this week. So it’s really just a normal week.

52 Storey Treehouse is moving on to the Sydney Opera House, but Seymour Centre is putting on two brilliant productions adapted from the books The Grumpy Bear, and Revolting Rhymes by the inimitable Roald Dahl. The shows are packed with music, dance, shadow puppetry and general mayhem. Tickets are $22 each or $80 for a family of four.

If you’re having a budget-conscious school holiday, there are plenty of free goings on in the courtyard and foyer. Western Sydney’s own DMC Crew will be defying gravity and sanity with their Parkour performances. And in case it’s always been your dream to raise a troupe of street acrobats, there are workshops to (safely) teach some Parkour basics which I hope doesn’t include running up walls and flipping off ledges.

On Tuesday, Bike ‘n’ Blend will set up their fleet of adult and kid-sized blender bikes so you can pedal a refreshing smoothie into existence. Grab some takeaway from a nearby Newtown cafe or lunch from the Seymour Centre cafe – they’ve promised plenty of kid-friendly food – and listen to the courtyard band The Vegetable Patch.

When the crowds get to be too much, Victoria Park and its excellent playground, complete with a flying fox, is right over the road.

To book tickets for the Grumpy Bear or Revolting Rhymes, or to plan your visit, go online to the Seymour Centre.